The Mission
Grace Place desires to be a spectacle of God's grace at work. From this desire, our church has emphasized the presence of a grace that produces works, or what we affectionately call Grace Works.
Grace Works is not an attempt to make a works based religion in the place of God’s economy of election and faith; however, a faith that produces no works is dead (James 2:26). The picture (beside/below) depicts this flow of grace. All grace is God’s grace as he is the source of all good things. God’s grace flows into the church and this grace flows into your family and continues into your relationship with the world and finally, will flow against our enemy. If the grace given to us accomplishes all that is intended in these relationships, then it will empower us to return grace back to God in the form of a life of worship and a healthy Church.
Our desire is that each person within the congregation of Grace Place would know and live out their lives in regard to these five primary relationships, which we find outlined specifically in the book of Ephesians and supported by all of scripture. The priority of these relationships is top to bottom beginning with our relationship with God because He must be front and center in all the other relationships that follow. However, all these relationships must be engaged at the same time, while we are being Holy Spirit filled (controlled). When any one of them are placed above our relationship with God, life becomes dysfunctional or falls out of line, grace is not able to flow and work as it was intended.
Our desire is that each person within the congregation of Grace Place would know and live out their lives in regard to these five primary relationships, which we find outlined specifically in the book of Ephesians and supported by all of scripture. The priority of these relationships is top to bottom beginning with our relationship with God because He must be front and center in all the other relationships that follow. However, all these relationships must be engaged at the same time, while we are being Holy Spirit filled (controlled). When any one of them are placed above our relationship with God, life becomes dysfunctional or falls out of line, grace is not able to flow and work as it was intended.
The 5 Relationships
God
We must fully understand and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, He is above all and has been given authority over everything in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18). We must no longer live as the world lives, we must put off our old self and be made new in the attitudes of our minds, and to put on our new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:17-5:20). This relationship manifests itself in regular God honoring and loving; Worship, Bible Study, Prayer, Discipleship, and Fellowship.
Family
Jesus Christ also is Lord over our families. As we see in creation, there is headship within the family. That order begins with the servant leadership in the Father/Husband flowing to the Wife, and on through Children and fills the Home. This is best seen in the spiritual headship of Christ talked about in Eph. 5:22-6:4. As the man goes, so goes the marriage and the home. As a result, most of our activities are family integrated.
Church
Jesus Christ is Lord, and when He is exalted over all and is the primary focus of the church, we see that we are all created equally yet with different personalities, spiritual gifts, and love languages. It is in our differences that His grace shines. Our differences were meant to compliment, to support and to love one another (Eph. 4:1-16). It is in Jesus that our diversity and our weakness is made strong and we are unified as the body, and we mature to the full stature of Christ together as one. It is this unity that we must care for the elderly, the sick, the young and the needy among us.
World
Jesus Christ is Lord over all, this becomes very important when engaging in the world and in our modern culture that is so self focused and materially driven. As we maintain our focus on Christ we must engage the lost truthfully, faithfully, and effectively, demonstrating wisdom, love and understanding, while showing grace. To make plain to everyone the mystery of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Eph.3:1-13). This again requires us to be Holy Spirit filled and controlled. We must also have an understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it brings salvation, deliverance, and healing for the soul; providing “Good News” for every aspect of life.
Enemy
Without the belief and knowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord we cannot engage with our enemy, Satan. We have to understand that we are at war and that it is a spiritual war. Our first response to the enemy is through prayer, much prayer. And then we must engage properly and rightly, completely clothed in the Armor of God, each piece vitally important. Always doing so with the covering of prayer, support and backup of our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus (Eph. 6:10-20).